Category: Creative
Up-cycle Inspiration..
A bit of weekend inspiration for anyone with time and the need for lights on their hands…
(All pictures Pinterest)
Laters, Kate x
Summer DIY
The rollercoaster ride of summer is gathering speed..today will be the first day of wearing a summer dress all day long without a coat. Bliss. I would happily wear summer dresses all summer long – they are without doubt the ultimate capsule wardrobe. I did my Atlantique Ascoli check and I have 5 cotton ones…so I’m on the hunt for 2 more to make 7 outfits for the sun ticked off. They’re all I take on holiday now – simply blinged and pimped with jewellery and different shoes for the evening.
I’m also collecting together my summer craft box – a tupperware container with enough bits to while away the magic hours that only appear on holidays, when time seems to get stretched by the sun. Last year we made macrame and friendship bracelets (even Charlie can rustle up a mean macrame)..and I’m sure we’ll make more this year..we got pretty proficient at sewing in chains and all sorts..
This year I’ve found this to add in..all we’ll need to add are a crochet hook, some buttons….
Maybe we’ll finally do a take on this…all I need is time..(and that little bit of child labour)……….
Laters, Kate x
Trial 1..
The inspiration..
The recipe.
The attempt.
That never progressed beyond this.
The aftermath.
The rain.
(Trial 2…soon….I will not be beaten. My garden might…)
Laters, Kate x
Corking!
Do you remember this post? An up-cycle of a well-loved pair of shoes with a row of brass thumb tacks..well, they’ve proved their worth and survived for another year (just – too comfortable to consign till the very, very end) and remarkably most of the pins stayed in..there are a few gaps..
Which have now been filled by these babies..push pins with personality!
I can see hours of fun ahead…
Laters, Kate x
Nailed it!
We were at my sister’s being fed like royalty last week and these were being passed around: pics of the crafts that you’re inspired to do via sites like Pinterest..that don’t always turn out as intended. I can relate – it happened to me yesterday..four excited children and all the ingredients (even the glycerin) to make giant bubbles – you know, the bigger than a person ones? – we measured, we mixed, we made…it squelched. Not so much as a single sphere…
It’s a turkey ok?
(Pictures from all sorts including Google and Pinterest)
Next time it rains, mine will be the garden that foams..
Laters, Kate x
Bags of room..
Another summer 2015 obsession..finding a large, bright yellow shopping tote in soft, malleable leather..the type of bag you fill with all the detritus the sweet summer heralds..sun tan lotion, cotton scarves, umbrellas, sunnies, flip-flops..a picnic to feed the 5,000…a vat of gin..
This one by is top of the picks so far..by Modalu, hand cut and stitched in Somerset by highly skilled artisans it justifies it’s over three hundred pound price tag..but….it’s hard leather..and I can’t justify the expense as I want to change it..but that deep blue interior..mwhahaa!
The inspiration is Anya Hindmarch’s new 2015 sticker bag which is pure giggle and wink.
In homage, I’ve been collecting various patches (do you call them patches??) to make my own.
I just need the bag in a sensible price bracket – why’s it so hard to find a very simple leather bag like this..but in yellow?..you wait..next year the shops will be full of the buggers..until then, the hunt continues..
Laters, Kate x
Kai x
I have a thing about faces and love portraits: That moment captured in time..the emotion caught forever. This artist – Kai Samuels-Davis seems to have an absolute instinct for committing to canvas impossibly transient sentiment and creating paintings that both emerge and disappear.
He lives with his wife in the small and beautiful coastal town of Jenner, just 70 miles north of San Francisco – and the peace and calm of his surroundings seeps into his work. They’re grounded and real.
In the dream house that lives in my head, I have several on the walls…there’s also a studio where I can pretend to be him..
Laters, Kate x
Charlie’s shoes..
You turn your back on Charlie, turn round again and something has changed in a way that invariably brings a smile..
With the fake summer he got a simple pair of sandals..but he’s invented a new way to wear them. And he’s now wearing all his lycra trainers with a cross too..
Now..where are those nail scissors??
Laters, Kate x
Banjooli x
There are three things that caught my roving eye with this remarkable collection of garden furniture designed by Sebastian Herkner for Moroso..
1. They’re brilliantly inspired by the mating dance of male ostriches – (or ‘banjooli’ in Wolof tongue) – who stretch out their wings to show off to the ladies.
2. They’re produced by African craft weavers using fishing net yarn.
3. They make me smile.
Herkner says, they may be based on birds, but they are human in their perfections and flaws. Mi piace.
Laters, Kate x
The Results!..
So this is our attempt at Tree Change Dolls..we were lucky that it was a gorgeous day (summer is on the way!) and we had Bella’s lovely friend Maya to help us. These were the dolls as they started (Charlie doll was given a reprieve as we thought he was rather pretty!)(Thankfully, we had a spare doll..)
First job was to take their faces off, which we did with the nail varnish remover – you let it soak for a bit and then wipe.
It takes off a fair bit, but does leave smudges (and avoid getting the remover anywhere else on the dolls as it starts peeling away the plastic..as we learnt to our detriment..)
For the rest and the harder marks, we used eucalyptus oil..and lots of elbow grease..you just have to keep rubbing hard! But I’ve now learnt the power of eucalyptus oil..my bin has never smelt so fragrant..
And we managed it!
Then they all had a wash..
(Although certain members of the party became more interested in the bubbles..)
After that it was time for the paint..the most exciting, but also the most nerve wracking bit. We used acrylic paints and Derwent watercolour pencils. What I would recommend is finding some really good, tiny paint brushes. Ours were kiddies ones which we then trimmed down with scissors..but it is precise work and the better your paint brush, the better the result. At this point, I will confess..we lost the majority of the children..they went off to play..
Not that it mattered..the mummies were more than happy to lose themselves over eyeballs! It was engrossing work..highly therapeutic we decided!
Big brother Alex was also game..so lovely to see..he just saw it as an Art project and was more than happy to get stuck in.
The finer details were done with the pencils – you dip them in water and then they work well on the plastic.
Bella with Bella..
This is Sophie’s doll (Maya’s mummy)
Who was then dressed at home!
I made a little dress for Bella..but we still have the feet to go..it all takes time!
Just doing it all for the first time was a learning curve. Time whizzes by..which is always a good sign. The painting is tough and particularly hard for the kids – but it was a great project to all do together. We intend to do another creative day soon to make the feet and more clothes. All in all, to be highly recommended! If you want to try yourself, there are loads of really good tutorials on Youtube..good luck!
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 